It is well known in the auto industry to bolt together two abutting sheet metal panels, thereby forming a complex vehicle body structure or chassis structure. After assembly of the sheet metal panels, via various welding and bolting processes, the entire vehicle body is dipped into a large bath of liquid primer in order to coat all of the exposed metal surfaces and thereby provide protection against corrosion.
In order to improve the flow of the primer into small spaces between adjacent metal panels, the coating process includes electro-deposition of the primer. In electro-deposition, the liquid primer and the vehicle body are oppositely charged so that the primer material is electrically attracted into a consistent and uniform deposit on the surfaces of the vehicle body.
It would be desirable to provide improvements in the construction of bolted together vehicle body panels to further improve the flow of the liquid primer into the small spaces between adjacent body panels. The present invention provides an improved clinch nut for attaching first and second metal panels in a consistent and assured spaced apart relationship to promote the flow of liquid primer between both panels.